Jan. 19, 2008
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The 20th-ranked Mizzou men's swimming and diving team (9-2, 1-0 Big 12) completed a solid second and final day of action in Pittsburgh, Saturday, and came away with three dual wins as a result of their efforts. The Tigers were edged by a tough No. 16 Penn State squad, but soundly defeated Pitt, Maryland and Villanova.
"I was very pleased with the way we raced," MU Head Coach Brian Hoffer said. "We lost to a great Penn State team, but raced hard and took three of four duals. We're looking forward to heading home and getting some rest before our meet next weekend."
Coming up big for the Tigers, Saturday, was redshirt freshman Cameron Sellers. The Valley Center, Kan., native dominated the 500 free, touching in at 4:35.02 to earn the win and a 3.5 second advantage on the runner-up finisher. After a quick break Sellers was right back at it in the 200 free, outperforming the competition down the final stretch to grab a second gold in a time of 1:41.96. Sophomore Dylan Lynn touched in third (1:42.46).
Junior Gilad Kaufman recorded a second runner-up showing in the weekend's fly events, clocking a 1:53.71 to secure the second spot in the 200 fly.
Also repeating his fortune from the night before was sophomore Greg DeStephen. The Columbus, Ohio, native tallied a score of 287.00 to capture third on the 1-meter board. Freshman Dante Jones finished fourth with a score of 271.30.
Senior Travis Floyd bettered his third-place Friday finish in the 100 back with a second-place showing in the 200 portion of the event. The Texan swam a solid time of 1:51.33 in nabbing the silver.
Sprinting to a strong finish in the 50 free was freshman and fellow Texan Jordan Hawley. Hawley touched in an impressive 20.92 to capture a fourth-place finish in the event.
Finishing second in the 200 breast was sophomore Martin Cernansky, who clocked a 2:03.46 to nab the runner-up spot.
In addition to their individual events, the Tigers also asserted themselves in relay action. Lynn teamed up with Floyd, Cernansky and Kaufman to bring home a second-place finish in the 400 medley relay in a time of 3:25.29. The Oklahoman then led off the 400 free relay squad of himself, Kaufman, Floyd and Sellers that took third in a time of 3:06.57.
Next up for the men of Mizzou is a `Senior Day' matchup with Iowa next Saturday, Jan. 26 at the Mizzou Aquatics Center. Action is set to get underway at 11 a.m.
Final Dual Scores
Penn State 191, Mizzou 159
Mizzou 214, Maryland 130
Mizzou 198, Pitt 154
Mizzou 289, Villanova 59